Friday, 16 December 2011

Sibal says no to censorship, wants social media support

Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal on 15 December 2011 said the government had no plans to censor the contents on social networking websites. After a meeting with Internet firms like Google, Facebook and Twitter, the minister said the government was trying to find ways to use these social media platforms effectively to reach out to the masses.

The discussion came a few days after Sibal asked Internet firms to ensure that no defamatory and incendiary material are uploaded in their platforms.

The meeting was also attended by various government departments, including the Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Information and Technology.

Following the discussions the government plans to come up with a new guideline for use of social media by government organizations and officials. The guidelines, to be devised by the Department of Information Technology, would talk about how the government departments could select the right social platforms to reach the masses.